Good morning, here’s a quick post from the road. I’m writing from Reno, NV, on my annual family trip. With the three-hour time difference working to my advantage, it’s very easy to be up by 6:30 AM, whipping up a batch of muffins for the later sleepers. I made these two mornings in a row, working from a favorite recipe in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. They were a hit among the quinoa skeptics—rich, sweet, a little bit crunchy, and they send an intoxicating sweet aroma from the oven, which is nice to wake up to.

It was great to have some company in the kitchen for a change.

Browning the butter amps up the ricnhess here, and with neither quinoa flour (or the spice grinder to improvise it) nor whole-wheat pasty flour on hand (both of which Madison calls for in her recipe), I decided to throw in some rolled oats and use plain all-purpose flour. If you don’t plan to eat them on the day they’re made, I’d recommend throwing them in the freezer. They toughen up a bit as they cool.

2. Brown the butter: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat then continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the solids turn brownish-red and sink to the bottom. Use a spatula to scrape out the browned butter to a mixing bowl and let cool slightly.

3. To cook the quinoa (if not using leftover): Add the quinoa to the saucepan and swirl to coat in the bit of butter that’s left. Then pour in 1 cup water, return to the heat, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. Let cool slightly.

4. Whisk together the flour, sugar, soda, and salt until thoroughly combined in a separate mixing bowl. Stir in the oats. To the browned butter, whisk in the yogurt, egg, and vanilla. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry, trying not to over mix, then stir in the quinoa.

5. Divide the batter among muffin tins and bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown and the muffins spring back when touched. Serve warm or room temperature.

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Important Correction to Veggie Burgers Every Which Way: In the first printing of Veggie Burgers Every Which Way, Mushroom Burgers with Barley is incorrectly denoted as gluten-free in the table of contents and on page 64. In fact, barley is a wheat-free grain, but it is not gluten-free. Some people who follow a wheat-free diet are able to eat barley, while people who follow a gluten-free diet do not eat barley.